Ami, I call him. While he is limited to moving his arm up and down, he does so independently. People don’t realize how revolutionary that is. But they will, in time.
- Aqueel, the Inventor. Dated -52 b.f.
They worked in silence. Nurana kept her attention on Layla, either out of necessity or choice not watching them work. Silas couldn’t blame her. Defending himself from attackers was one thing, but this…this felt different.
Holding the sack open, he pulled it over the woman’s head and grabbed her under the armpits to push her body into the sack an inch at a time. His hands were near-black from the blood seeping out of the two wounds in her chest and shoulder.
The sack was too small. Amush had given him a thread and needle to sew it closed, but her feet still stuck out. Carefully, Silas bent her legs so she would fit. As he threaded the needle through the rough cloth of the sack, he realized he wouldn’t be able to sew it tight.
He tried to not think about what he was doing and pushed against her legs, the cloth straining against its limit. Finally, he managed to close the sack and tie the knot at the top. The sack noticeably bulged where her knees, head, and elbows pushed against the coarse fabric. The bottom was already starting to gain a deep red color.
Amush brought a small cart and threw the largest sack onto it as if it were a bag of grains. Silas and Zaya followed, each one straining as they pushed it onto the cart. Soon, only little pools of blood and smears along the floor and walls remained of the fight. Not counting the giant hole near the entrance, that is. Amush started pushing the cart out the main entrance, beckoning Silas and Zaya to accompany him.
“Won’t people see us? What if the guards show up?” Silas asked him. While they were allowed to fight to gain the Ascended’s trust, he’d rather not test how far Cor’s trust went.
“The people already know. And don’t worry about the guards, boy. They rarely come into the Lower District, especially not the harbor. Down here, we have our own people.”
Reluctantly, Silas and Zaya followed Amush outside. It was night by now, the desert sky painted bright by a plethora of stars, clustered so close they seemed like glittering shards of glass that created entire streets of distant planets shining in overlapping arrays of green and yellow, surrounded by an expanse of deep azure.
Death shouldn’t be that beautiful.
The harbor was almost completely deserted. The few people who were nearby either turned around or pretended not to notice them.
They stopped near the water’s edge. Amush pulled the first sack off the cart. It fell with a wet squelch. The stone inside must have crushed the body underneath it.
Frothing waves broke against the edge of the shore, determined to erode the barrier daring to keep them contained. A tide of a thousand soldiers charged towards an enemy they had no hope of defeating, their bodies splattering uselessly against the cold, unrelenting stone, only to drown like so many before them, lost in the darkness of the swirling waters.
Amush pushed the sack off the edge with his foot. The waves swallowed it near silently, the spume parting to allow a fleeting glance at the dark waters below. The gaping map sealed shut a heartbeat later, their sharp fangs immediately reaching out for more.
Wordlessly, Silas and Zaya pulled the next sack off the cart. The bodies disappeared as if they had never existed. If anybody would come to investigate, nothing but white bones would remain, blanketing the seabed like silver cutlery on a fine dinner table.
Like pawns in a greater scheme, their bodies would be forgotten come the break of dawn, their flesh hidden underneath the scarred, tangerine skin of the sea, illuminated by the morning light.
Silas wasn’t much different, he knew. If the Ascended ever found out he and his friends were working for Cor, he’d end up just like them. A nameless body, dumped into the Southern Sea. Food for the fishes.
They needed to escape from all this. They were playing a game for two sides, and neither one didn’t cared if they lived or died.
Amush walked back into the Shelter without a further word. Silas had a feeling it hadn’t been the first time Amush had disposed of a body.
He probably hadn’t worked as an instructor in the Shelter for more than a few years, and judging by the prosthetic leg, he hadn’t been a sculptor, either. Back inside, Silas sat down beside Ashnur and squeezed his shoulder. A blood-soaked bandage had been wrapped around Layla’s chest. One foot was bent unnaturally, and although the bleeding had stopped, Silas could tell that it hadn’t healed as it should have.
Ashnur looked up briefly, his eyes bloodshot before returning his gaze to Layla’s unconscious body. The raw anger in Ashnur’s eyes gave Silas pause, yet he felt like he could relate. He wouldn’t know how he’d react if he saw Zaya like that. Silas just hoped it would never come to that.
“How is she?” he asked Nurana who sat on the beginning of the stairs, her head hanging down.
“She’ll live.” Nurana wiped a few wet strands of black hair from her face. “But it’s unlikely she’ll ever be able to walk properly again. The daggers almost completely split the bone. I can’t heal something like that.” Her eyes returned to Layla’s foot, wrapped in bandages. “Maybe a better healer could have, but not me.”
“You did all you could.” Ashnur raised his head, his face momentarily softening as he looked at Nurana. “Thank you.”
Nurana nodded tiredly. “You have nothing to thank me for.”
Steps echoed from above as Aiza came down the stairs. “The children are informed. Many of them are scared, but that’s to be expected. They will harden up, given a bit of time.”
Silas scoffed. No child should be subjected to that amount of violence. Hardening them up wouldn’t do them any good, not at that age.
“So? Who was it?” Aiza asked Amush, who had already started to clean the floor with a wet rag.
The tall man stood back up, sending his gaze flickering at Silas before turning back to Aiza.
She nodded. “I think they’ve proven today on whose side they’re on, haven’t they?” Aiza smiled at Zaya. Silas averted his gaze. Something about her eyes made him uncomfortable. They flicked so fast Silas could barely see them moving. “Whoever sent these Artists to attack us, they deserve to know.”
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“They were Nur-Lazim’s people, without a doubt. He’s one of the Empress’ closest confidants and the largest weapon manufacturer in the city,” Amush added.
Something about the name rang a bell with Silas, but he couldn’t remember where he’d heard it. “Why would he hold a grudge?”
Aiza grabbed a rag and started to help Amush clean the blood off the wall. “Most of the nobles don’t like us informing the people about the Matriarch’s awakening. They think it makes us defiant. Those up there don’t like that. They prefer to keep us docile and give us just enough food so we don’t revolt, but never enough for us to grow.” Aiza furiously scrubbed a dark spot on the wall and cleaned the rag in a large bucket. “Not that it will matter, in the end.”
Ashnur stood up, his gaze still fixed on Layla. His hair long, black hair was sticky with blood as it hung down his face. “Before the Matriarch.”
“All will bow,” Amush and Aiza finished in unison.
***
The breakfast the following morning had a solemn air to it. Hardly anyone spoke, and those who did, in hushed whispers. Although Zaya had tried to repair the worst of the damage to the entrance, there were still holes in the front wall. The morning breeze howled through the cracks of the stone, cutting through the poor attempts at conversation.
The massive door had a large dent to it, standing ajar and leaning against the wall as one of its hinges had been bent too badly to support the door’s weight. A few spots of the cream-colored sandstone still had a slightly darker coloration to them.
A large, deep blot near the entrance especially stood out. Silas thought he could even see faint chip marks where his spears had pierced through the woman’s body. He remembered how he’d reveled in the intoxicating feeling of Taint coursing through him, and the fear in the woman’s eyes after he’d ripped the spear out of her own hands. How she’d stumbled when trying to get away from him, both weapons floating by his side.
When he looked deep into his Landscape, Silas could still feel the itching of the Taint, urging him to let loose. He needed to control it. He had trained too hard to let something like the Taint take a hold of him. Hopefully, another dose of the Empress’ medicine would solve the issue. If only he could use the power of the Taint without its corrupting influence.
The children scattered away in silence. Aiza stopped Silas as he moved to follow. She looked a bit pale but otherwise fine. For having received such a heavy wound the day before, she looked pretty well off.
“I haven’t had the chance to properly thank you. I don’t think Layla and I would have been able to defeat them without your help. We are in your debt. Thank you, to each one of you.”
“We be happy to help. You be much strong, also,” Zaya complimented her.
Aiza smiled. Silas’s tried not to stare at her crooked canines. Gnarly hid behind Silas’ cloak. “From such a promising Artist such as yourself, that means a lot.” Aiza’s face grew serious. “That being said, I was surprised to see you risk yourself to defend the Shelter, considering how new you are to our commune. You must have seen that the attackers sent by Nur-Lazim were no ordinary goons.”
Silas glanced at Nurana. Better let her do the talking. “Despite our short stay, we grew quite fond of the people here. It’s not easy to make friends for the likes of us, you see.”
Aiza nodded, waiting.
Nurana licked her lips. “Without Galmor and the Shelter, we would have been on the streets. To be honest, we didn’t discuss not helping you. We just heard the shouts and followed Ashnur. How is Layla?”
“She is in my room currently, resting on the bed. Ashnur is with her.” Aiza crossed her arms. “Is that all?”
Nurana held her gaze for a moment. “No. There is another reason. The Empress’ dogs killed my mother. She didn’t even receive a trial.”
Silas’ eyes widened. Why had he never asked about her parents? Nurana took a breath to get her voice in control. “My father fled to Ceraviehl to escape her regime, but now that I’ve come back, I can’t turn a blind eye to it any longer. I will do everything I can to oppose her. Now that we’ve seen the misery of the people in the Lower District and all the good you and everyone involved is doing, we came to a decision.”
Both Silas and Zaya looked at her. They hadn’t decided on anything, but Silas tried not to look surprised.
“We want to join your cause.”
***
Silas pulled apart the thin, brown curtain hanging before the entrance. Layla was lying on the bed, her skin unusually pale. Ashnur sat on a small stool by her bedside, holding her fingers in one hand. He turned his head as Silas entered, his hand sliding away from hers.
Silas opened his mouth, his eyes flickering between Layla and Ashnur.
“I’m sorry, are we interrupting? We just wanted to see if you’re alright.”
Nurana, Zaya, and Gnarly followed him inside the small room, wary to not mess up any of the many documents lying on either the table or the shelves hanging on the walls. The low ceiling hung above Nurana, and she ducked her head so as not to bump into the Magelight hanging from the ceiling.
“No, you’re not.” Layle tried to sit up on the bed, flinching as a bandage on her foot shifted. “Thank you again, Nurana. I don’t think I would’ve made it without your healing. I owe you my life.”
“You owe me nothing, Layla. I’m only sorry I wasn’t able to heal your foot. The bone was too damaged.”
“At least I’ll live. What happened with the assassins from Nur-Lazim?”
“They swim with the fishes,” Zaya answered.
Ashnur’s face grew cold. “Good. They don’t deserve a proper burial.” His eyes were sunken. It looked like he had barely slept, if at all.
The curtain parted again. Aiza stepped in, momentarily surprised to see the room so crowded. “Oh, hello!” she smiled at each of them, stepping up to Layla’s bed to lay a hand on her cheek. “How are you feeling, child?”
“Better, thanks to her,” Layla sent a glance at Nurana. “Nothing to worry about.”
“I am very happy to hear that. Seeing that all of you are already here, I might as well announce that Nurana, Silas, and Zaya here,” she began, only to be interrupted by Gnarly,
“Creak!”
“—and Gnarly decided to join our commune.”
Layla smiled weakly. “Welcome to the cause.”
“Welcome, friends,” Ashnur said.
“Ah, so you already be part of Ascended?” Zaya asked them.
Silence filled the room. Silas tensed up, suddenly feeling like the walls of the small room were closing in on him. Layla and Ashnur shared a hesitant glance with Aiza, who gave them a short nod.
“We joined, but aren’t proper members yet,” Ashnur said. “We haven’t received access to the First Scripture yet.”
The question hung in the air, but Silas figured it might be better not to ask.
“No need to concern yourself with that, yet,” cut them off. “Let’s give them some rest, shall we?”
Aiza ushered them back out, and, with a jerk of her head, motioned them to follow her. She leaned in, her voice low. “Now that you joined, there is something else we could use your help with.”
Nurana dipped her head. “We’ll gladly help anywhere we can.”
“This might be a bit of an odd request, but since you are all practitioners, maybe you’ll get lucky. What I’m going to tell you is not common knowledge, even among members. We are in search of artifacts from Al-Talash. Rumor has it the ancient city has resurfaced, and if any of its inventions should find their way to Nu-Taquim, I’d be able to provide you with a handsome sum for anything you might come across.”
Silas schooled his face to remain calm. It might just be a coincidence.
“We have not heard of anything of the like, but we’ll try our best,” Nurana answered. Her voice was slightly strained, and she pointedly avoided looking at Silas.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more. Apart from that, an opportunity to properly join us is likely to present itself in due time. Just beware that when it comes, you may not hesitate.”
“Thank you.” Zaya dipped her head. “Will not show hesitation.”
Aiza smiled, showing her crooked canines. “I know.”